Inflatable tire



Feb. 20, 1940. o.- WLCH 2,190,905

I NFLATABLE T I RE `Filed Feb. 10. 1957 INVENTOR. akin. lc BY @fwd y az.

ATTORNEYJ.

Patented ret. zo, 1940 UNITED `.STATES PATENT goFFicE t 1 `2,190,905V 'l INFLATABLETIEE i .i rin`,Welch, South Bend, Ind." i Apfilication February 10, 193m serial nu.'` 124,951 settima` (61.152435'7) 4 My inventionrelates to improvements in vehi- `clevvheels and more specifically to aninilatable` vehicle Wheel adapted primarily for use as 4land#` a wheel `having great shock-absorbing qualities `,to therebyincrease `its, shock-absorbing qualities.

ingwheels'for airplanes. i i

It has forfone of its objects that of providing combined with lightness 4and strength.

`Another object of my invention is to obtain an inflatable vehicle Wheel having a large cro-ss sectional area as compared With its total diameter l Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear more fully inthe appended `speciication and claims.

` For the purpose of disclosingmyinvention, I'` `have illustrated an embodimentthereof in the accompanying drawing, Which:

Fig. l` is a partial transverse sectional vieW of a wheel embodying my invention; i

Fig.2 is a sideelevation; Q i W Fig. `3 is anenlarged detail `section showing the manner of applying the inflation valve stem; and

Fig. `4 is an enlargeddiagrammatic section of` a portion of my Whee1to"`show`more fully the `construction thereof.

. `In constructing my WheeLlI provide" a I` which' may be and preferably isof cast aluminum` l machined to receive theproper sizebushin'gs 2 for thestandard cord fabrics notv used in tliellinanll-` i facture of commercial automobiletires and is of the cord type'impregnatedwitha suitablerubber Acompound. The vside Walls which may be' desig- `nated as A each comprise a multi-ply disc of .the desired axle and `machined on the exterior `toprovide a suitable surface. This hub is provided `at its endslwith annularl flanges 3` In describing the construction of the tire hereinafter and the assembly` of the materials on this hub,it` `will be understood that the material is assembled p in its greenor uncured state.

i The outer. surface of thejhub I iscoatedlvvithla plurality of coats, preferably two, of rubber cement which is allovvedlto dry thoroughly. Ontopof this rubber cement is applied one-sixteenth ply 4 of the uncuredhard rubber. Al ply of cord fabric 5 is `then Wrapped around the hub on top of'` the hard rubber.` This cord fabric may be anyof` material. In the construction of this disc, I provide an inner disc or ply 6 which is thegreatest diameter and this inner disc'or ply B'Which is of thesame cord fabric aslthejcord fabric 5 has` a facing 1 of Whatis commercially known-'as ,tube i This isthe stock from which the inner `tubes of thecommercial automobile `tires .are`

stock.

formed. The upper edge of the tube stockis folded 4bz'i'clfupon itself,` the two layers being cemented together. `Additional cord fabric discs i 8,- S, andjme'ach of a smaller diameter, are assembled onthe disc 6. The outer surface is then covered with a layer lil of rubber ofA the type known asltread stock.` The center ofthe multiply` disc above described is cut with `a series of yradially extendingslits |12 to provide an opening to receive the hub I` and the `Walls formed by these slits are` intrnedtorform inturned flanges i3 surrounding the `hub. ,f Thetvvo discs having beenassembjled on the `oppositeiends of the hub and 'on top of he fabric ply 5, each disc is secure'dpntne hut` as follows:

One roundifld of preferably I8 gage spring steel or bead wire issecured'around the flange i3 hav" ing its endscpnnectedinfany desired manner as by `twisting together or otherwise, so that the C Wireisdravvn tight around `the flange and clamps tact withthefabricwand to lay upagainst the sidejof the disc. `Asecond binding Wireifi is then `laid;over'thefabricply` l5, then over this is another cord ply I'Lthe cords being `at such an` angle to cross thecordswof the first strip and running inthe'. oppositedirection. This strip, it Willbe noted,-is` a` little longer than the first strip I5` and extends furtherup along the side Wall and furtl'ieralongthe"h1ib.` A third binding Wire l is then applied vanda succeeding covering cord strip ll is applied over theybinding Wire. `This strip, being formed of thesame cord fabric as the stripsheretofore described,` is somewhat longer than the other strips Aand it Will be noted extends further up alongthe'jside Wall and further toward the-center of the hub.` After thesestrips havebeen laid, "an additional strip 2Q is laid `on to properly coverthe 'binding Wires. This last strip (2G, ofcourse, is longer than the remaining strips and, as shown, extends further up the side Wall of thetire and further towards the center of the hub. `in addition to the abovementioned fabric strips,4 I wrap or lay in place a pair of strips 2| which are formed of tube material and `overlap the fabric strips. Then I Wrap a middle strip of tube material around the hub, bridging Ithestrips 2| and forming an air-tight joint. A

suitable air valve 22 is also inserted in one of the sidewalls -to permit the inflation of the' Wheel vwhen completed. y After the two sidewalls have been strips connected to the peripheriesofthe v-two discs. The innermost `peripheral strip 22 is of sufficient width to 'lap the peripheral edges of the innermost strip .1 and this strip 22, like the ply 1, is formed of tube stock, it being cemented as at 23 tothe peripheries vof each of the discs. The next strip is of cord stock lcomprising a ply 24 which is wider than the strip or ply 22 and, overlaps the joint of` the strip 22 and side-Wall] disc 1. A third ply strip 25 of cordstocl; is then ;A built on, its ends overlapping the two side-wall` discs E. A third cord fabricdisc26 is then laid on, its edges overlapping the peripheral edges of f the side-wall disc 8. A yfourth fabric disc 21 is then laidon this strip, being wider than the next adjacent, and its side edges overlap the pe` ripheral edges of the disc. 9L lIt willbe under-l stood, of course, that as eachtread strip is laid on the'side-'wall discs,y the overlapping .portions are suitably cemented together by rubber ce-.

ment. Overlying the fabric structure thus built up is then placed a layer 28 of rubber tire stock. It will be noted that in assembling this struc-"' ture, after the initial tread' strip'22is applied, an e, air-tight inner tube structure is provided, which may be filled with air tomaintain the formation of the side walls sufcientlystiff to assist in the applying of the additional. plies'of thetread i Bearing in mind Ithat all of the above struc-k ture as described is assembled with the material in its uncured state, the structure thus assembled is then introduced in a suitable mold', the'wheel being inflated with about seventy-five pounds off air pressure. 'The molds are then placed in a suitable steam kettle under alsteam pressure of fifty pounds and kept in the kettle until the stock is completely crude.

While I have `described'aboveia4 method` of cur-y ingthe built up structure, it will be, of course', understood vthatother methods of curingV or vulcanizing the built -up structure "may be used.

VThere are a number osuch accepted methods now commercially used in addition'lto the one which Ihaveabove described. v

I have illustrated in the drawing-and described inv the specification -one specic form Vof hub structure which consists, asv illustrated, in a substantially cylindrical tube of relatively small di..

ameter having ,annular flanges on each side.` It

`will be understood, however, that "where Iyhave used the expression huby in the claims, vthe expression. contemplates a structure-providing aV center member adapted toreceive the tire structure heretofore described andvthis centeror hub member maybe either the specicstru'cture'il-jlustrated or a structure wherein the hub' member is made larger in diameter such for instance as a center tube having radiating therefrom spokes or, like devices with an annular rim-like structurek at the outer periphery of the spokes.

assembled on theI hub, as above described, I then'apply the f tread. This tread comprises a series of multi-ply44V It will also be. understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the lspecific v structure illustrated and describedwithout de' parting from the spirit of myinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim asrmyinvention: n 1. In an inflatable vehicle tire the combination witha hub, of a pair of disc-like side members, Aeach having a plurality of radial slits extending fromthe center thereof to form inturnedflaps embracing said hub, a binding wire embracing said flanges and clampingth'e same to 'said hub and a tread memberrsecured to the peripheries of said side'members. l

2. In an inflatable vehicle tire the combination with a hub, of a pair of disc-like side members,

each memberfhavin'g an opening to receive the hub,.an annular inturned flange surrounding Vthe walls of said opening and embracing sadhub, a

.plurality of binding Wires embracing the flanges of each side member -and arranged vone on top of the other, a layer of fabric material interposed of tread rubber, each ofsaidside members having an opening for receiving the huband an inturned annular flange surrounding said opening and embracing said hub, means embracing each of said lflangesand said hub for clamping the flanges to the huban inner flange portion formedwith tube rubber extending betweenthe side walls of each ibetween'the wires and-atread member secured of the side' members anda multi-ply tread memi 'ber having an inner wallfof tubelru'bberand an` `outer Wall vof tread rubber secured at its edges to the peripheries of said side members. 4, In an inflatable vehicle tirer the` combination` with a` hub, of', a pair of side members, each com-k prising a plurality of disc-like layers, the discs decreasingin"diameterffrom the inner to the f outer sideof the side members, each of said discs having an opening therein to receive the hub member A and annular4 flanges e surrounding said'k opening and embracingv the hub, clamping means embracing vsaid annular flanges and thehub for clamping the .flanges to the hub and a treadfo,

membercomprising a pluralityof'layers, the lay- .ersincreasing in width, outwardly, and' each layf er ofthe'. tread member'overlapping and being secured 'tothe peripheral vside Wall of each of a` corresponding disc'of y each side member. i

5. Inan inflatable vehiclejtire the combination with azhub, of an inflatable tire structure mounted on saidjhub havingan opening'inthe two side:

walls' thereof for the.rece'pti'onjof` said hub and lannular flanges surrounding the walls of said opening andextending substantially parallel withr said-hub;VV and binding clamps. surrounding said flanges 'and'hub A and clamping said. flanges to i 'saidhubl-v`l v `ORIN WELCH. 

